Ben Botkin - Oregon Capital Chronicle
Ben Botkin covers justice, health and social services issues for the Oregon Capital Chronicle. He has been a reporter since 2003, when he drove from his Midwest locale to Idaho for his first journalism job. He has written extensively about politics and state agencies in Idaho, Nevada and Oregon. Most recently, he covered health care and the Oregon Legislature for The Lund Report. Botkin has won multiple journalism awards for his investigative and enterprise reporting, including on education, state budgets and criminal justice.
Committee passes controversial bill that would unwind Measure 110
OREGON NEWS: Police and prosecutors support House Bill 4002, but civil rights advocates warn that it would usher in Oregon’s return to the failed war on drugs.
DHS offers record $40 million to settle lawsuit from abused foster children
Four former foster children abused after being placed in a Keizer foster home will share a $40 million settlement, the largest from DHS in Oregon history.
Report: Measure 110 has helped drug treatment, but gaps remain
A Secretary of State report released Wednesday on Measure 110 services found unclear data among service providers.
Oregon State Hospital will submit corrective action plan after patient escape
The state psychiatric hospital in Salem could lose its ability to bill Medicare for services if it doesn't correct security issues federal regulators identified during an inspection.
Though many jail inmates have addiction problems, facilities lack treatment services
Oregon Rep. Pam Marsh plans to introduce a bill in the 2024 session to provide funding for jail addiction medication, screenings and more.
Former Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Edwin Peterson dies at 93
Former Oregon Chief Justice Edwin J. Peterson died on Saturday in Salem, leaving behind a legacy of modernizing the courts system.
Harney County judge declares Measure 114 on gun safety unconstitutional
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said she will appeal the ruling on the state gun regulation measure.
State and resettlement groups help Ukrainians in Oregon
The Oregon Department of Human Services will distribute $2.25 million in federal grants to help people from Ukraine.
State program helps hundreds of households affected by 2020 Labor Day fires, but needs remain
State officials have spent or accounted for a $150 million wildfire recovery program from the Legislature though victims of the Labor Day blazes are far from whole.
Kotek taps out-of-state public health leader for OHA director post
Dr. Sejal Hathi, a deputy commissioner at the New Jersey Department of Health, will be the next Oregon Health Authority director.